Latest theatre reviews

Just seen "Paper Dolls" at the Tricycle Theatre. What a fantastic show, with a really good story line. All the paper dolls are superb, but the outstanding member for me was the part of "Sally" played with such passion it was really touching. Well worth a visit.

Always look forward to the emails from Timeout. They have some good offers.

I bought tickets to see Phantom of the Opera through lastminute.com that were advitised as second price stalls or royal grand stand for £50. The seats I was asigned were actually restriced view and were misrepresented on the lastminute site. When I complain to the company, with picture evidence, they refused to admit that the seats were ristricted view. Both the theatre and lastminute are selling these tickets and fooling the public. Be aware it will definately spoil your enjoyment!

How could Time Out give Birthday the honour of being show of the week?? Either the offering that week in London was abysmal, or the reviewer had been smoking something very mind altering, because certainly not even "easily pleased from Welwyn Garden City" could have honestly thought this play was good. It was second-rate British TV sitcom from the beginning to end. A laboured premise (if you'll excuse the pun), cardboard characterisation (e.g. midwife and registrar) and not one funny line in the whole play. A disaster! Don't go!

Duchess of Malfi- Old Vic: Visually stunning production but at 3 1/4 hours Mr. Spacey needs to talk to Jamie Lloyd - who seems like one of those children, who given too many toys for Christmas insists on playing with all of them at once. Webster's plotting is pedantic at best and it does not do to allow the audience to dwell on the leaps of time and logic that bedevil the text. Mr. Lloyd instists on explaining everything - slowly, directly and with deliberate focus. But what has kept the play in focus for the past 400 years is the language in all its beauty and epigramatic magnificence. Eve Best is wonderful and her transformations from duchess to lover, to mother, to victim and back to duchess again are clear and emotionally satisfying. Her brothers offer less clarity and compelling complexity. Harry Lloyd in particular, offered none of the perverted sexual power that drives him to lust after his sister while seeking her death to secure his release from his guilt. Understudy Adam Burton did well with the cardinal, but was perhaps more clinical than debauched. Fynbar Lynch brought an unexpected celtic quality to his Bosola and I missed his sense of ambition and secret power. His redemptive moments were however compelling and he held the narrative together beautifully. One last note - I think that the design elements of this play - while offering the standard Jacobean shape of curtained discovery space and multiple balconies made brilliant use of the theatres vast proscenium opening - truly magnificent.